Adolfo Costa, principal of Coral Gables High School, received $10,000 from the Council for Educational Change on Nov. 14 at the University of Miami’s Newman Alumni Center.
Costa was the winner of the 2013 Leonard Miller Principal Leadership Award for outstanding contributions in the field of education. Each year, the council presents finalists with $5,000 each and awards an additional $5,000 to the award winner.
Kyle Dresback of Allen D. Nease High from St. Johns County and Robert McCue of South Lake High from Lake County, the other two Gold Medallion Finalists, were awarded $5,000 each by Dr. Elaine Liftin, the council’s president and executive director
In memory of Leonard Miller, the council established the award to recognize outstanding leadership. The Council for Educational Change, a Florida-based charitable organization whose purpose it is to increase the quality of public education, presented the 11th annual Leonard Miller Principal Leadership Award at this event.
Charles Cobb, former Ambassador to Iceland, presented the significance of the day. Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami- Dade County Public Schools, discussed how leadership changes lives and the impact the council represents in the state.
Through its programs, the Council for Educational Change has served over 1,550,000 students, 67 districts, and developed 5,000 school-based leaders.
At the conclusion, the excitement was heightened when the Coral Gables Senior High School Band charged through the doors playing their theme song. Costa was not only surprised with the award, but honored with the presence of his high school students playing the Alma Mater.
Event sponsors included Carnival Cruise Lines, Cobb Family Foundation, Richard and Susan Finkelstein, Lennar Foundation, and Miller Family Foundation.
